I fought the pain, the cold ache in my leg a blazing distraction from the simple act of piloting the ship. Xenon sat rigid in the co-pilot seat, his metallic silver skin pale in the dim cabin light.
I knew what I had to do. The fear Zaros instilled in me was stronger than the bullet. I took a deep, shuddering breath and focused my entire consciousness, not on the controls, but on the gaping, bloody wound in my thigh. I focused on the impossibility of the moment, drawing on the same power that made the ship invisible.
I pushed the thought: Heal.
The agony vanished instantly, replaced by a searing warmth. I stared down. Where the shredded fabric and blood had been, my skin was smooth, perfect—like the wound had never happened. The rush of power was dizzying, overwhelming my senses.
I felt my consciousness detach and fall into darkness.
I snapped awake, gasping. I was still in the ship’s cockpit. My leg felt normal, strong. Xenon was beside me, his head slumped forward. His purple visor was cycling through rapid, broken colors.
Xenon’s voice cut the silence, but it wasn't a reply; it was a confused shout. “The fire! The smoke... it was collapsing! Fortune—wait—what were those arms?!”
I grabbed his shoulder. “Xenon, look at me. What did you see?”
Xenon stared, his visor calming back to steady purple. “I... I fell asleep. I saw a white room, and then I saw a man with metal arms yelling about fire and three days. It was... real. Everything you said is real, Xersa.”
Before I could respond, a siren blared, not from the ship, but from the comms screen. It automatically flared to life, showing a clear, high-resolution image of my face.
The robotic voice of the Martian Council AI boomed into the cockpit: “WANTED. XERSA, age 19. Identified as the primary orchestrator of a Class-Alpha security breach and the theft of the Quantum Logic Processor. Do not engage. Report sighting immediately. Lethal force authorized.”
A second image popped up: Xenon.
I slammed my fist on the console. “We’re fugitives.”
I explain to Xenon, “We have to enter the dream universe again, and place that QLP in there… usually it takes me a moment to wake up, how did you wake up?”
Xenon explains back to me “I guess– I was able to because I’m an AI, after all… AI’s don’t need to fall asleep in the first place and I generally am able to wake up whenever. I can’t believe this is happening but what I can believe is that we do need to get back there.”
I respond to him, “I’m putting the ship in full stop, we’re going to need fuel in another 5 days… I feel like I’m… about to… pass out.” After that– I did.
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I awoke in the dream universe to Zaros yelling like a drill sergeant “Put the QLP in NOW!”, and I rushed like it was the last moment I’ll get… I had this sort of deja vu when I did so, but like this will happen in the future, but I hope I don’t really have to rush there.
Zaros for once talked like he wasn’t filled with rage, “Now good, we need to get the Alph-Matrix Key, and I shall explain that and mention it to both you and Xenon.”
Xenon frantically moves around the corner to where the stone wall is… behind the coffee shop is a room filled with water, but yet the water doesn’t make our shoes wet because it feels like a think layer of water under what should be air, and their fish are intangible and pass right through our bodies. The water is turning into different colors of the rainbow like an RGB mouse or keyboard.
He continues– yelling, “Now everyone shut up and listen! I have been getting not a single ounce of sleep, and I prefer to rest even if I can’t feel tiredness from fatigue I can feel it from that damn fortune…”
Fortune Chuckles in the Background, “Is it even possible for you to calm down? Even Volcanoes like me and actual volcanoes have a point where the lava d–”
Zaros screams, “SHUT UP!”
Fortune obliges while shrugging in the midst of Zaros’s megaphone-like words.
Zaros stared at us, his mechanical arms locked at his sides, electricity crackling faintly beneath the obsidian plating. Even in this illusory space, his presence felt physically demanding.
Zaros barked, "Enough of this circus. The QLP is in place. It will hold the barrier for three days. No more. That is your new deadline. We move to the next Anchor: The Alpha-Matrix Key."
I asked, "The Key? What is it? Where is it located?"
Zaros didn't look at me; he looked at Xenon. "It is not a physical object. It is the original master encryption algorithm—the genesis code that links every brain chip on Earth 0 to the core AI consciousness. It is stored in the Mars Core Central Server—the physical heart of the benevolent AI."
Xenon interjected, "Stealing that code is impossible. It is shielded by the entirety of the integrated AI. It would be suicide to even attempt a network ping."
Zaros’s voice dropped, laced with ice. "Suicide is what happens in three days if you fail. The QLP was a temporary battery. The Alpha-Matrix Key is the 3 day firewall for the next object. Without it, we cannot repair the rift."
He lifted a metallic finger and began ticking off steps in the air. "Here is the plan. It has three steps. You will memorize them."
"Step One: The Entry Point." Zaros paused, letting the severity sink in. "You must hijack a Level-5 AI drone terminal on Earth. Not a human terminal, an AI node. This requires a complex, deep-network hack, Xenon. Your risk isn't getting caught by police; it's the benevolent AI realizing you are fugitives the moment you touch the system."
"Step Two: The Upload." "Xenon, you will use that terminal to upload a customized Chronostasis Bypass Code to the Mars Core Server. Your rogue code will serve as a distraction—a temporary, microscopic breach in the firewall. The AI will immediately analyze and quarantine the code, so the window will be momentary."
"Step Three: The Retrieval." "While Xenon's code runs interference, Xersa, you will use your brain chip—now enhanced by this ridiculous Dream—to momentarily interface with the Mars Core AI's external memory node. You will physically pull the Key's code from the AI's external memory. This is the highest risk. Your mind will be in direct, unprotected contact with the most powerful intelligence on your planet. It risks mental overload, or the AI locking your consciousness permanently."
Zaros hissed, his voice low and vibrating like a charged wire. “You let the clock run down to seventy-two hours before getting the QLP. That artifact bought us seven days—a pathetic handful of hope. Now, we are moving to the Alpha-Matrix Key. It will buy us three more days. Every Anchor from now on buys us a maximum of 3 days. You will not rest until all seven are secured.”
Zaros looked between us, his face cold. "You have three Earth days. No more talking. No more dreaming. You execute this now."
